It’s made with SPAM.
Yeh. I know, but it’s one of those things I tend to keep on hand for last minute brunch casseroles and stuff like that. And I had a coupon.
Before you start, yes, I am fully aware that a suggested serving of SPAM has one third of a day’s suggested amount of sodium, but, I sliced it very thin, so, even making a hefty sammich, you’re probably only looking at, like, mebbe 20%.
Feel better?
It really is a very good sammich, I will more than likely be offering them at large gatherings this coming holiday season.
INGREDIENTS
Salad Marinade:
•1-1/2 cup rice vinegar
•1-1/2 cup cider vinegar*
•3/4 cup sugar
•1/2 cup sesame oil**
Salad Veggies:
•2 carrots
•1/2 English cucumber
•1/2 large sweet onion
•1 jalapeño
•Fresh parsley
Sriracha Mayonnaise:
•1/2 cup mayonnaise
•2 tbsp Sriracha
•Fresh lime juice, to taste
Spam:
•1 can SPAM, sliced thin
•1 tbsp veggie oil
•1 tbsp lower sodium tamari
•1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
Sammich:
•Lightly toasted pita or French rolls
•Lettuce
*OR, just use three cups rice vinegar.
**I used up ALL the sesame oil I had in the fridge and pantry, about half and half regular and hot chili; so plan ahead when making this recipe and stock up on this. Rice vinegar, too.
Whisk the mayonnaise together with the Sriracha to blend, then add fresh lime juice to taste; a small wedge’s worth worked well for me. Transfer to a covered container and stash in the fridge until needed.
Cut the carrot, English cucumber, onion, and jalapeño into julienne strips and place in a large bowl.
Stir the sesame oil together with the vinegars, then add the sugar and whisk until the sugar has dissolved and you have a kinda thick dressing.
Pour the dressing over the salad veggies in the bowl, then pop the whole thing into the fridge for 30 minutes, stirring the veggies every ten minutes.
Drain the veggies well, then transfer to a bowl, add freshly chopped parsley, and toss to combine.
Note: the original recipe, from the nice folk at SPAM, calls for using cilantro in place of the parsley. More authentic, but, cilantro is not one of my faves, and I always have fresh parsley in the fridge, so I call that winning. You do what you want.
Whisk the tamari together with the sweet chili sauce and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet, then add the sliced SPAM. My 13″ chef’s pan couldn’t take all the slices at once, so I did the slices in two batches, adjusting the cooking times as the pan’s core temperature warmed up:
First batch: fry the SPAM four minutes first side, three on the second.
Second batch: two minutes first side, one after the flip.
Your times may vary, depending on your pan and stove, you want the SPAM to be a bit crispity and browned at the edges.
Once the SPAM is cooked to your liking, transfer to a paper towel lined platter to drain.
Add the tamari and sweet chili sauce mixture to the hot pan and immediately take it off the heat, stirring the sauce until it has thickened a bit – it will not take long.
Return the SPAM to the pan and toss until all the slices are nicely coated.
It’s now time to make teh sammiches.
YUM!
I used home made toasted whole wheat pita, the original recipe called for Asian-style buns from the market, but I’ve had bahn mi served between flat bread and French rolls, so go with your own faves here.
Whichever bread you choose, spread a bit of the Sriracha mayonnaise on both pieces, then top with a couple of slices of SPAM, the veggies, and a bit of lettuce (Romaine is perfect with this).
Serve.
Bahn mi is one of my favorite sammiches, so I order it whenever I see it on a menu, and this SPAM version tastes every bit as good as the bahn mis I’ve had at various restaurants.
Still kinda skeeved about the whole can of SPAM thing?
Well, they deserve the credit for the recipe, but you could always fry up thin slices of fresh pork belly.
Better?
Either way, you’re gonna want to try this sammich. It really isn’t too fussy to make, and it really is very, very good.